How to Generate More Sales Using Marketing Kits

Marketing is a top priority for nearly every business. If you’re not bringing in new business, your business will fail regardless of how skilled you are in your field.

When it comes to marketing materials, one of the most popular aids is a marketing kit, also known as a sales kit. In this article I’ll explain what a marketing kit is, the difference between print and digital kits, as well as how to put together an effective packet.

What is a Marketing Kit?

A marketing kit is a set of marketing materials that companies offer to potential clients and are usually branded. A marketing kit that is effective will communicate to prospects the benefits of a company’s products or services while acting as the brand’s silent salesman in the absence of a physical representative.

Digital Marketing Kits vs. Print

A digital marketing kit is often a starting point for e-commerce and other online-only businesses. This type of kit is perfect for companies that are in constant change, starting out, or have low working capital.

There are some advantages to digital marketing packets over printed materials, such as:

• You can create it for free. Attach digital marketing materials and even a website to your email, even if you don’t yet have one. It's a great form of free marketing.
• No inventory. Printed kits take up space, are fragile, and might fade, crack, or peel. You’ll also need to reorder if any business details change, like a phone number, address, logo or brand color scheme.
• It's easy and quick to adjust. Experimenting with your brand, target audience, and physical location is easier when your business is just starting out. If this is a priority, printed kits will not be a practical choice.

A print marketing kit, on the other hand, has its benefits as well.

Print marketing may be more expensive than digital marketing, but the cost to print is lower now than in previous years. Advances in technology have made it possible for companies to produce fancy sales kits at more affordable price points while also making promotional products available in smaller quantities.

Contrary to popular belief, people are more emotionally connected to print marketing than to digital, as revealed in a joint study by Temple University and the USPS. Combining print with emotional selling can also be an effective tactic for B2B marketers.

Print marketing is still a great way to market your business in the digital age. The fact that it’s not as common nowadays supports marketing campaigns that aim to leave a lasting impression.

Marketing Kit Examples for Every Business

What should you include in a marketing kit? You defintely want to pack anything that gives you a competitive edge. How much to include will depend on your budget and the stage of your business.

You can also create a diy sales kit if professional printing is not within your budget. However, it can prove to be more costly when considering time invested and quality of the end product. Self-made kits are typically much more basic than their custom-made counterparts.

If you’re looking to save money and don’t need to update your business information frequently, preprinted "shell" stationery items might be a good option. A shell is design template created by the printer that looks professional and allows you to alter business details like company name, logo, tagline, contact info, and relevant photos. It’s the quickest and cheapest way to make a nice kit without spending a lot of time and energy.

Below is a list detailing the contents you should include within a marketing, or sales, kit.

For print marketing kits

A business binder (or something branded to keep everything together)

In the context of sales kits, marketing binders are a well-esetablished method for housing promotional and transactional materials for potential clients. With a range of options available at some binder printing services, businesses can customize their binder in a variety of ways that include: materials such as paper, vinyl, leather, or polyeurothane; imprint methods like embossing, foil stamping, and 4-color process; and extra add ons like pockets, handles, closures, inserts, dividers, and sheet protectors.

Here are 3 things to consider before you create your first marketing sales kit.

1. Identify Your Target Audience

The first step is to understand your audience. Are you targeting Fortune 500 companies, SMBs, or solopreneurs? Further research should be done on their demographics (i.e. age, gender, education, income, etc.) and psychographics (i.e. values, interests, lifestyles, opinions, etc.). These will allow you to determine the design and complexity of your sales kits.

You need to have a clear understanding of what motivates and inspires your prospective client base. Do not limit the campaign to interests that you or your direct report prefer. Rather, keep in mind the needs and preferences of those who will be receiving the sales kit.

2. Focus on the main objective

Your sales kit should be based around one central idea. It doesn't matter if you are launching a new product or advertising a promotion—there should be a single element that unites everything. Remember, you can make a sales kit two different ways – simple or complex. Most marketers wisely opt for the latter.

3. Close the deal

It might sound cliché, but the phrase “always be closing” could not be more relevant to a promotional product. Your kit should contain everything a sales prospect needs to complete your marketing objective. This means necessary business information such as applicable websites, phone and fax numbers, email addresses, and physical locations.

Pro Tip: Keep your design simple by using QR codes in your sales kits. QR codes can be used to store contact details, direct people to specific web pages, and directly call or email. They are a valuable bridge when encouraging digital actions via a physical product.

Business Card

Include a few business cards to allow potential customers to keep one and give away extras for referrals. You can stand out against the rest by printing on a unique texture or thicker stock and using special effects such as embossing, spot uv coating, and metallic inks. A business card is an excellent way for individual representatives to personalize sales kits.

Promotional Products

All clients appreciate swag items such as pens, t-shirts, and drinkware. Including one or two promo products ensures that your brand will resonate with them regardless of whether they convert into a customer. It’s not only effective for the near-term but also future sales.

Print and digital marketing packets

Sell sheets

Selling sheets should highlight the benefits a customer will receive from your products and services. People have many options today, so it is important that all marketing materials include details, similar to a website landing page that has been designed to convert leads.

Samples and coupons

When applicable, let prospects experience your brand by including a free sample or coupon. You can even take this a step further and require them to redeem a coupon via an online form, which will allow you to capture the lead for digital marketing campaigns while also filtering for candidates that are most interested in experiencing your offerings.

Client List

Customers prefer to work with established companies. A list of your previous clients are a form social proof that encourages customer trust. There are some unique ways you can add this to your sales kit if you’re not keen on adding another sheet to the packet. My suggestion is to incorporate it into your sell sheet, although I’ve seen some companies use client logos as a backdrop on the interior panel or pockets of their binder.

Testimonials

People love reading feedback from past patrons. Using customer testimonials and reviews can generate 62% more revenue per customer, per visit. Though this statistic is an online metric, the same rings true for print marketing Customers need to feel secure when making purchasing decisions and using the experiences of happy customers can go a long way in making this happen.

Before you use a testimonial, always make sure to ask permission from your client.

Pro Tip: To save space, combine testimonials with client lists.

Price List

Bypass a frequent pain point in sales by offering upfront pricing. It's frustrating to try and close a deal with someone who can't afford the products or services you’re selling. If you don’t need to process a quote or just prefer not to be hassled with hagglers, provide potential customers with prices or price ranges. It's important for some customers to know that everyone is getting the same deal and that prices are non-negotiable.

Case Studies

Case studies tell the story of a customer and show how you met their needs. To create one, you will need to include any relevant photos or graphics and interview the customer to gather details about how your brand solved their unique problem. Case studies are a good opportunity to resolve any doubts that might impede a person from converting.

With all this information, you should now understand what a marketing kit is and how it can be used to further business objectives. It is important to remember that there is no “one size fits all” solution to the question of what you should put in your business packet. There is a wide array of possibilities that are dependent on each campaign’s requirements.